NEWS
CCTU October Meeting Presentation on YouTube Channel
Had an excellent October chapter meeting last night at Cresthill Middle School. Chris Krueger, Rocky Mountain Fly Design, gave his timely presentation on streamer fishing – “Taking the Guess Work Out of Streamer Fishing…Tips for Success”. He delved into why trout eat streamers, when to fish streamers and went into significant detail on some of the key streamer imitated food sources. Fly patterns, retrieves and presentation techniques, and equipment, including leader design were all covered. It was an invaluable dive into an area that we all can grow our fly fishing skillsets. Pick up some of his amazing streamers, check out tying videos and more at his website www.rockymountainflydesign.com.
If you missed the meeting or wanted to review any aspect of Chris’ presentation, it is now up on the CCTU YouTube site at https://youtu.be/2bJwUyp5Cbs
ALERT: Gil Trail Footbridge to be Closed 10/17-10/21
In an email to CCTU leaders, Mikele Painter, District Biologist for the US Forest Service asked that we notify the CCTU members of upcoming footbridge repair at the lower Gil Trail for the week of October 17th (through October 21st). Email included below:
Hi Scott and John,
Please let your Trout Unlimited members know that the Gill Trail Footbridge repair work will take place next week (10/17 – 10/21) and the bridge will be closed. The construction company will also be staging in the parking lot, so public parking will be severely impacted for that week. We suggest that visitors avoid the Lower Cheesman Canyon Trailhead entirely for that week.
Thanks for helping us spread the word and let me know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Mikele Painter
“Michael” she/herDistrict Biologist
Forest Service
Pike National Forest
South Platte Ranger District
George Franklin and John Vevurka 2019 CCTU Raffle Trip Winners Fishing at Ouray Ranch
George Franklin finally had a chance to go on the trip he won in the 2019 CCTU Raffle. He and John Vevurka fished Ouray Ranch with Brian Young on Thursday. It was a beautiful fall day in the 60s in Grand County and the fishing was excellent throughout the day. George and John brought many rainbows and browns to net across a broad variety of techniques - Euronymphing, standard nymphing, and dries. 2023 CCTU Raffle Program will open up early in the new year. Get your ticket early.
CCTU September Meeting Presentation Up on CCTU YouTube Channel
It was great to get back to in-person meetings after another several month hiatus this summer. Had a great September Chapter meeting last night at Cresthill Middle School. First up was Lauren Duncan, Trout Unlimited’s Abandoned Mines Restoration Project Manager. She gave an excellent overview presentation on TU’s Abandoned Mine Restoration projects. She then drilled down into the Orphan Boy project near Alma, a key project that CCTU has contributed significant funding towards. Next was Kirk Deeter, the editor of Trout Magazine, TU National’s key communication vehicle. We had some technical issues so missed Kirk’s short formal presentation, but he took questions from the chapter attendees. Topics ranged from tips from his new book The Little Black Book of Fly Fishing to his thoughts on key challenges facing TU in the near and long-term future. A stimulating and wide-ranging discussion with Kirk as usual. If you missed the meeting, you can watch Kirk’s presentation at CCTU’s YouTube site at https://youtu.be/_ub5K_LZhu8
The Little Black Book is available numerous places, including Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Black-Book-Fly-Fishing/dp/1510747737
BEAR CREEK ELECTROSHOCKING WITH CPW
BEAR CREEK ELECTROSHOCKING WITH CPW
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12 & FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16
CCTU will again support Colorado Parks and Wildlife in electroshocking Bear Creek. For those that have done this before, you know it is a great opportunity to learn about and support the work CPW is doing to monitor the health of the fish population in the river. This year’s dates are Monday September 12 and Friday September 16th, please send a note to John Egan (john.j.egan@icloud.com) if you want to attend…you must send a note to him to be eligible to attend. Once we get closer, John will provide times and meeting locations for each day. As we have done in the past, CCTU will provide lunch. You need to bring waders, boots and any layers you need to stay warm. The project will go no matter the weather, so dress properly and bring rain gear.
Great Alpine Lake Event at Urad Lake, Sun, Aug 14
We had a great Alpine Lake event at Urad Lake this past Sunday, August 14. We had about 28 CCTU members show up for the event. They enjoyed Ron Belak’s presentation on alpine lake fishing techniques and tips, fished for about 3 hours and then did about 2 hours of clean-up around the lake. Thanks to Ron Belak for all his insights, John Egan for organizing, and for all the CCTU members who showed up. Most everyone caught fish, and a lot of Tiger Trout to net. They also braved a couple of storms in the afternoon as well as a tough drive back down to town. Look forward to doing it again next year and doing more combo fishing/clean-up events in 2023.
Volunteer at CTU TroutFest on 7/18, get FREE Admission
CTU TroutFest Volunteer Opportunities – volunteer for 2 hours, get free admission
CTU’s TroutFest is Monday, July 18th from 5 pm to 9 pm at Coors Field! They will have lots of outdoors vendors, fly tying and casting instructors, awesome raffle prizes, fly tying competitions, build a bug and lawntrouting opportunities, macroinvertebrate fun, and much much more! They are in desperate need of volunteers for the event.
Volunteer opportunities include…
Registration Volunteer - Help welcome people, get them registered, and checked in
Raffle Area Volunteer - Help manage the raffle items, sell raffle tickets, and pass out winning prizes
VIP Area Volunteer - Help us welcome VIP folks, check wristbands, and chat it up!
Fly Tying Volunteer - Help Troutfest participants learn to tie flies and maybe even teach them your favorite pattern
Casting and Lawntrout Volunteer - Help teach other to cast and get the chance to catch the neon lawntrout
Build a Bug Volunteer - Help kids learn about invertebrates and build a bug at Troutfest
Macroinvertebrate Volunteer - Help participants learn about macroinvertebrates and how important they are to stream ecosystems!
Photographer Volunteer - Volunteer as a photographer of the event
Dress up as Fraser the Trout Volunteer - Dress up as Fraser the Trout, give trout high fives, and take pictures with Troutfest folks!
Sign up today as a volunteer for TroutFest! All volunteer slots are 2 hours or less, so you can volunteer and have time to explore and enjoy Troutfest. Each volunteer will get a complementary Troutfest ticket which includes your ballpark style meal and all the fun activity at Troutfest!
Click below if interested in volunteering…
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4fa9a92aa3fdcf8-ctutroutfest
FRIENDS OF THE LOWER BLUE RIVER ONLINE AUCTION - CLOSES AUG 9 2PM
FOBLR is a conservation group with goals of sustaining & protecting the traditional agricultural character, promoting the safety of the residents, livestock & wildlife, & maintaining the environmental integrity of the Lower Blue River Valley through education, collaboration & community involvement. They reached out for help in promoting their annual online auction, which funds their land stewardship, sustainability, and philanthrophy efforts in the Lower Blue River Valley. Your participation will support programs that include…
The Safe Soils/Climate Resiliency Initiative - A research and climate action project, underway now, that provides ranchers in the valley with tailored plans to help them maximize the climate resiliency of their lands. FOLBR is helping landowners in the valley improve soil health, carbon sequestration, and capability to improve the environment, support livestock and wildlife in a balanced way.
The Livestock Emergency Evacuation Plan - A comprehensive guide to livestock emergency preparedness. It provides landowners and stakeholders in the valley with a network of safe zones for livestock evacuation and emergency resources in the case of wildfire.
Their partnership with the Blue River Watershed Group and other environmentally and community- focused non-profits. These partners strengthen our community and protect the natural beauty of the Blue River Valley and its surrounding areas.
Their collaboration with Middle Park Conservation District, Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust, Lake Dillon Fire District, and more.
They’ve got some solid prizes and all proceeds go to the great causes above. If you fish the Blue, this is a great way to give back. The auction closes on 8-9-2022 at 2:00pm. Check it out at https://www.32auctions.com/AnnualGathering2022.
July Meeting Presetantion on CCTU YouTube Channel
JULY MEETING PRESENTATION ON CCTU YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Had a great Zoom only CCTU July Chapter meeting with Michele White last night. Michele is a long-time friend of the chapter, and owner of Tumbling Trout Fly Shop in Lake George. Her presentation is based upon her latest book “Suburuable Brookie Venues in South Park”. She went into considerable detail on the many brookie fishing locations in South Park…all easily accessible in a sedan style car and with public access to streamside fishing with parking, toilets, and maintained footpaths. You can pick the book up at the Tumbling Trout website at https://www.tumblingtrout.com/product-page/subaru-able-brookie-venues-in-south-park-colorado-by-michele-white. The next time you are in Lake George, stop by Tumbling Trout at 38283 Hwy 24 in Lake George. Watch the presentation video at the CCTU YouTube site https://youtu.be/amou1ApCl3w
CPW VOLUNTARY CLOSURE OF FRASER, COLORADO, AND EAGLE RIVER
Water temps of 70 degrees and above have caused CPW to ask anglers to voluntarily avoid fishing on sections of the Fraser River, Colorado River, and Eagle River. Beginning Friday, July 15, CPW is placing the following voluntary fishing closures in effect from 12:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. daily.
Fraser River - from the County Road 8 bridge crossing at Fraser downstream to the confluence with the Colorado River near Granby.
Colorado River - from the confluence with the Fraser River near Granby downstream to the confluence with the Williams Fork River at Parshall.
Colorado River - from the Highway 9 bridge crossing at Kremmling downstream to State Bridge.
Eagle River - from the Eagle County Fairgrounds at Eagle to the confluence with the Colorado River at Dotsero.
A full day closure is also in effect on the Colorado River from State Bridge downstream to Bair Ranch in Glenwood Canyon. These voluntary closures will remain in effect until further notice
https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/News-Release-Details.aspx?NewsID=3561